Miami Beach mayor hopes stores refuse to serve customers not wearing a face mask

The idea is for the businesses to enforce the rule and turn away customers who do not have masks.

I've posted a few articles about the emerging public safety issue stemming from the SWFL media non-stop,day after day, over hyping the "safety" features of people wearing face masks in public---when in reality the message and the policies have resulted in just the opposite---four store customers and employees robbed by emboldened face mask-wearing thugs.

What would be the next rubicon crossed in the mask-wearing age of coronavirus? At the time I opined it might be the cultural phenomenon of public shaming--when I was a teenager we called it "peer pressure".

And I called it.

Over in the City of Miami Beach the Mayor actually hopes businesses refuse to service --under the pretext of "public health"---customers not wearing a facemask.

Courtesy of the Miami Herald (emphasis mine):

"...The city agrees, and on Friday Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber — with a tropical-themed mask in hand — announced an emergency measure ordering customers and employees to wear face masks at grocery stores, restaurants and pharmacies at the risk of being turned away from the businesses. 

The city’s new emergency measure, signed into law Friday evening (April 3) by City Manager Jimmy Morales, orders people to wear cloth masks, scarves, bandanas or other similar items to cover their faces. The order encourages residents not to purchase medical-grade masks. 

Like the city’s other emergency orders, violating the mask rule is a criminal offense. But, like smoking indoors, the cops aren’t going to arrest someone for baring their face at Publix, Gelber said. The idea is for the businesses to enforce the rule and turn away customers who do not have masks.

And it's a criminal offense that won't result in an arrest---noooooooo! We're waaaaayyy beyond the Rule of Law now. The Miami Beach mayor wants the business to refuse entry, hoping to shame, essentially guilt people into obeyance.

Keep in mind none of this went through the standard city council, public health department, open meeting, public comment process. 

Still think some of this mask-wearing, media overhype, virtue signaling is for "public health and safety"? Or to make people feelz good? 

Luxury autos and $360,000 watch: owner of South Florida health care facility gets 20 years for robbing Medicare, Medicaid

The owner of a network of South Florida assisted living and skilled nursing facilities was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison after being found guilty in what the U.S. Justice Department described as the largest  health care fraud scheme charged by the DOJ. 

The decades-long scheme of 50 year old Miami Beach resident Philip Esformes  involved kickbacks and money laundering in connection with fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for services deemed medically unnecessary.

According to the DOJ Office of Public Affairs press release, Esformes bribed an employee of a Florida state regulator thereby concealing the sub-par living conditions of patients.

According to the evidence presented at trial, between January 1998 and July 2016, Esformes led an extensive health care fraud conspiracy involving a network of assisted living facilities and skilled nursing facilities he owned.  Esformes bribed physicians to admit patients into his facilities.  Then, he cycled the patients through his facilities where they often failed to receive appropriate medical services or received medically unnecessary services billed to Medicare and Medicaid.  Several witnesses testified to the poor conditions in the facilities and the inadequate care patients receive. 

Esformes concealed the poor conditions and scheme from authorities by bribing an employee of a Florida state regulator for advance notice of surprise inspections scheduled to take place at his facilities.  The evidence further showed Esformes used his criminal proceeds to make a series of extravagant purchases, including luxury automobiles and a $360,000 watch.  

Esformes also used criminal proceeds to bribe the basketball coach at the University of Pennsylvania in exchange for his assistance in gaining admission for his son into the university. 

Read the rest here.